Cap-firing toy gun including a striking mass having a bore therethrough



Feb. 20, 1968 c FERRI ET AL 3,369,315

CAP-FIRING TOY GUN INCLUDING A STRIKING MASS HAVING A BORE THERETHROUGH Filed Jan. 26, 1966 I INVE'VTof AN/ 1): FEM

A KIA/4 G (90 4/ R/ M BY W Adm p 4 T0RA/sy5 United States Patent 3,369,315 CAP-FIRING TOY- GUN INCLUDING A STRIKING MASS HAVING A BQRE THERETHROUGH Giampiero Ferri, Via A. Stoppani 38, and Jori Marinai, Via A. Stoppani 29, both of Florence, Italy Filed Jan. 26, 1966, Ser. No. 523,109 Claims priority, application Italy, Jan. 30, 1965, 2,295/ 65 8 Claims. (Cl. 42-54) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A cap-firing toy gun including a striking mass having a bore therethrough for the escape of explosion gases with slots in the wall of said bore and a member slidably engaged in the slots with a cap-firing pin off-set with respect to the center of a cap located in the firing position.

This invention relates to cap-firing toy guns.

An object of the invention is to ensure an adequate rate of flow for the exhaust of gases generated by the firing of caps.

According to the present invention there is provided in a cap-firing toy gun, a cap-firing pin off-set with respect to the center of a cap in the firing position of said cap.

Further according to the present invention there is provided in a cap-firing toy gun, a cap-firing member having an end adapted to strike a cap, said end having a periphery of an extent which is an appreciable proportion of the periphery of the explosion charge of the cap.

An embodiment of a cap-firing toy gun in accordance with the invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying diagrammatic drawing, in which:

FIGS. 1 and 2 are respectively a diagram illustrating the principle of operation of a gun in accordance with the invention and a cross-section on the line 22 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a series of perspective views of parts which together make up the firing pin and a striking mass;

' FIG. 4 is an axial end view of a striking mass as viewed from the firing pin end;

FIG. 5 is a cross-section of the striking mass adjacent the end thereof as seen in FIG. 4; and

FIG. 6 is a diagrammatic longitudinal section of a gun fitted with a firing pin assembly in accordance with the invention.

Referring now to the drawing, an explosive cap C of cup shape has an explosive layer B, which is intended to be struck by a firing or percussion pin, while the cap is supported on a resistant anvil-like surface. The firing pin L (FIGS. 1 and 2), has a substantially rectangular section and thus has a larger periphery than the minimum essential to effect firing. The firing pin acts on a cap at a position spaced with respect to the center of the explosive layer E thereof.

The largeextent of the peripheral edge of the active surface of the firing or percussion pin enables a higher propagation velocity of the explosion in comparison with that attainable by a firing pin having a substantially circular active percussion surface. The ofiF-set of the firing pin with respect to the center of the explosive layer enables rapid escape of the explosion gases, obviating any excess pressure of gas and delaying at least (if not even avoiding) the formation of corrosion products in the passage through which the gases can escape through the interior of the gun, since the firing pin support is also oil-set with respect to the axis of the escape gas duct and of the cap.

The firing pin is preferably formed by a metal sheet located parallel to a diameter of a cap to ensure ,a wide escape passage for the gases.

As shown in FIGS. 3 to 6, the gun includes a gun casing 1, a striking mass 2 which has an open ended bore 2a for the escape of gases which pass therethrough and a barrel 2' through which these gases also pass. A trigger 3 has a detent 3a arranged to act on a stop 21) of the striking mass 2 in order to move it in the direction opposite to the arrow f so as to load a tripping spring 4, acting on a projection 20 of the striking mass. When the detent 3a is released from the stop 2b the spring 4 trips the striking mass 2 in the direction of the arrow f causing the explosion of a cap C which is located in the firing position.

The cap C forms a part of a cap string or band C arranged in a magazine 5 inserted in the casing 1, suitable feed means being provided on the band of caps C to locate a cap C in the firing position. An arrangement of this kind, as illustrated in FIG. 6, has already been provided for in applicants copending application; the detailed operation of the several illustrated members is described in this earlier patent application, Ser. No. 479,157, filed on Aug. 12, 1965, now Patent No. 3,304,- 644.

In FIGS. 3 to 6, the striking mass 2 has an end portion 22, of substantially rectangular form, through which the bore 2a extends. The end portion 2e has a pair of seat-forming slots 7 to accommodate the ends of a sheet metal member 8, which lies substantially parallel to a diametral plane of the bore 2a but is off-set from the diametral plane, because of the positions of the two slots 7. The sheet metal member 8 has a lug 811, at an intermediate position, which forms with its rectangular-section end the firing pin having a form similar to the one indicated by L in FIG. 1. The sheet metal member 8 also has a second lug 8b which has a cutting edge 80, which can shear and expel a spent cap which was fired in the immediately previous percussion stroke. The edges 8d and 8e of the sheet metal member 8 are located in the slots 7 (FIG. 3) so as to locate the sheet metal member 8 in the end 2e of the striking mass 2. The sheet metal member 8 is retained in the slots 7 by a plate 10 which engages the end of the striking mass and which is provided with an aperture 10a, bounded by a flared rim or edge which rim is designed to ensure the centering of the cap C and to form a seal around the cap to ensure the escape of gases substantially in the direction of the arrow A (FIG. 6). The plate 10 also has a notch 10]; for the passage of the lug 8b the sheet metal member 8.

The sheet metal member 8 is advantageously provided with an arcuate surface 8 adjacent the root of the lug 8a forming the firing pin so as to increase slightly the gas outflow section in the zone A which has a smaller cross-section than the other zone A of the two zones A and A into which the bore 2a is divided by the member 8. The arcuate surface 8 while increasing the gas outflow section of the zone A does not substantially decrease the outfiow section of the zone A When the striking mass 2 is released and is projected by the spring 4 towards the cap C the firing is effected by the impact of the flat rectangular end of the lug 3a on the explosive layer, while simultaneously, by means of the sharp edge 80, the cutting of the connection of the previously fired cap before the cap C is effected. The outflow of gas takes place through the zones A and A and the propagation velocity of the explosion 3 in the cap explosive material is increased by the large periphery of the active end of the firing pin.

While the foregoing description sets forth the principles of the invention in connection with specific aparatns, it is to be understood that the description is made only by way of example and not as a limitation of the .scope of the invention as set forth in the objects thereof and in the accompanying claims.

We claim:

1. In a cap-firing toy gun in which caps are successively presented to a firing position, the combination comprising:

a barrel having a bore therethrough, through which explosion gases can escape,

an end portion rigid with the barrel having a square outline and a pair of slots therein lying in a plane parallel to the axis of said bore but spaced therefrom,

a firing mechanism adapted to project the barrel towards the firing position,

a sheet-metal member mounted in said slots,

a firing pin rigid with said sheet-metal member,

and a lug rigid with said sheet-metal member and having a cutting edge,

said firing pin being offset with respect to the center of each of said caps when in the firing position and having a rectangular cross-section,

and said cutting edge being adapted to sever a previously fired cap when a given cap is fired by said firing pin.

2. In a cap-firing toy gun,

a cap-firing pin off-set with respect to the center of a cap in the firing position of said cap,

a sheet metal member of which said firing pin forms a part,

a striking mass having a bore therethrough for the escape of explosion gases and slots therein at the end adjacent the caps,

and said slots lying in a plane parallel to a diametral plane of the bore and said sheet metal member being engaged in said slots.

3. In a cap-firing toy gun,

a cap-firing member having an end adapted to strike a cap,

said end having a periphery of an extent which is an appreciable proportion of the periphery of the explosive charge of the cap,

a sheet metal member of which said firing member forms a part,

a striking mass having a bore therethrough for the escape of explosion gases and slots therein at the end adjacent the caps,

said slots lying in a plane parallel to a diametral plane of the bore,

and said sheet metal member being engaged in said slots.

4. In a cap-firing toy gun,

a repeating percussion mechanism capable of firing a plurality of caps in succession,

a cap-firing member having an end portion arranged to strike each cap in succession at a position offset from the center of each said cap,

said end portion having a periphery of an extent which is an appreciable proportion of the periphery of the explosive charge of the cap,

a sheet metal member of which said firing member 6 forms a part,

a striking mass having a bore therethrough for the escape of explosion gases and Slots therein at the end adjacent the caps,

said slots lying in a plane parallel to a diametral plane of the bore,

and said sheet metal member being engaged in said slots.

5. In a cap-firing toy gun,

a cap-firing pin off-set with respect to the center of a cap in the firing position of said cap,

a sheet metal member of which said firing pin forms a part,

and said sheet metal member being of arcuate crosssection over the part thereof contiguous with the end of the firing pin remote from the cap-striking end thereof.

6. In a cap-firing toy gun,

a cap-firing member having an end adapted to strik a cap,

said end having a periphery of an extent which is an appreciable proportion of the periphery of the explosive charge of the cap,

a sheet metal member of which said firing member forms a part,

and said sheet metal member being of arcuate crosssection over the part thereof contiguous with the end of the firing member remote from the capstriking end thereof.

7. In a cap-firing toy gun,

a repeating percussion mechanism capable of firing a plurality of caps in succession,

a cap-firing member having an end portion arranged to strike each cap in succession at a position off-set from the center of each said cap,

said end portion having a periphery of an extent which is an appreciable proportion of the periphery of the explosive charge of the cap,

a sheet metal member of which said firing member forms a part,

and said sheet metal member being of arcuate crosssection over the part thereof contiguous with the end of the firing member remote from the capstriking end thereof.

8. In a cap-firing toy gun in which caps are successively presented to a firing position, the combination comprising:

a repeating percussion mechanism capable of firing a plurality of caps in succession,

a cap-firing member of sheet metal having an end portion arranged to strike each cap in succession at a position off-set from the center of each said cap,

said end portion having a periphery of an extent which is an appreciable proportion of the periphery of the explosive charge of the cap,

a striking mass having a bore therethrough for the escape of explosion gases and slots therein at the end adjacent the caps,

said cap-firing member lying in a plane parallel to a diametral plane of the cap discs,

said cap-firing member further being slidably engaged in said slots,

and the said end portion being arranged to meet the plane of each cap disc on a chord thereof.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 599,135 2/1898 Wildman 42-54 1,321,817 11/1919 Gehrig 4257 2,659,172 11/1953 Parry 4257 BENJAMIN A. BORCHELT, Primary Examiner, 

